His Yoke is Easy
Matthew 11: 28 Then Jesus said, "Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light."
Jesus said we all wear yokes that pull the burdens of this fallen world. He said the world's yoke is very heavy and hard to wear and pull, and that His yoke is easy and light.
For years I found His yoke not easy or light. Often, it seemed to be quite heavy. Trying to live my life in the light of His commands seemed frustrating or irritating often, and even impossible at times. Then I realized something: I wasn't all the way in His yoke.
The kind of device Jesus was talking about was designed to allow an animal to pull a lot of weight easily. The yoke made the work easy, but it was a very inflexible piece of wood. If it wasn't on right, it would hurt the animal trying to pull with it. It would rub the wrong spots raw, and eventually make the work harder, not easier. For a yoke to work right, it has to be "all the way on."
For years I wore the yoke partially on. I wanted to make it easy on my flesh, so I put the weight on my spirit. I tried to live as normally in my flesh as possible, and let my relationship with God fit in where it could...with one shoulder in the yoke and one shoulder out. This is a recipe for burnout and compromise...frustration and a dull spirit are what you end up with when you try to wear Jesus' yoke over only one shoulder.
Recently, I discovered that going all-in for God is actually easier on my spirit, and puts the weight where it is supposed to be...on my flesh. It is weird to be all in for God. Sometimes a bit embarrassing, humbling, and it ruins you for a lot of what you used to enjoy...but with the weight off, my spirit soars. I feel alive and excited about what is ahead. I feel connected in a powerful way to the one who created me, and my flesh really doesn't miss the old way much at all. It isn't like I have totally figured out how to wear Jesus' yoke, but I have gotten a glimpse of it fitting correctly, and I want to keep moving my shoulders until it sits exactly where it is supposed to. I know that having it fully on is the key to the burden being light.
Living with a body that is alive with desires and a spirit that is dull and easily satisfied with religion is a recipe for trouble. I want a bright spirit that sets my heart on-fire for God and consumes everything else in my life. This is my picture of having the yoke fully on!
Jesus said we all wear yokes that pull the burdens of this fallen world. He said the world's yoke is very heavy and hard to wear and pull, and that His yoke is easy and light.
For years I found His yoke not easy or light. Often, it seemed to be quite heavy. Trying to live my life in the light of His commands seemed frustrating or irritating often, and even impossible at times. Then I realized something: I wasn't all the way in His yoke.
The kind of device Jesus was talking about was designed to allow an animal to pull a lot of weight easily. The yoke made the work easy, but it was a very inflexible piece of wood. If it wasn't on right, it would hurt the animal trying to pull with it. It would rub the wrong spots raw, and eventually make the work harder, not easier. For a yoke to work right, it has to be "all the way on."
For years I wore the yoke partially on. I wanted to make it easy on my flesh, so I put the weight on my spirit. I tried to live as normally in my flesh as possible, and let my relationship with God fit in where it could...with one shoulder in the yoke and one shoulder out. This is a recipe for burnout and compromise...frustration and a dull spirit are what you end up with when you try to wear Jesus' yoke over only one shoulder.
Recently, I discovered that going all-in for God is actually easier on my spirit, and puts the weight where it is supposed to be...on my flesh. It is weird to be all in for God. Sometimes a bit embarrassing, humbling, and it ruins you for a lot of what you used to enjoy...but with the weight off, my spirit soars. I feel alive and excited about what is ahead. I feel connected in a powerful way to the one who created me, and my flesh really doesn't miss the old way much at all. It isn't like I have totally figured out how to wear Jesus' yoke, but I have gotten a glimpse of it fitting correctly, and I want to keep moving my shoulders until it sits exactly where it is supposed to. I know that having it fully on is the key to the burden being light.
Living with a body that is alive with desires and a spirit that is dull and easily satisfied with religion is a recipe for trouble. I want a bright spirit that sets my heart on-fire for God and consumes everything else in my life. This is my picture of having the yoke fully on!
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